


An Alliance of Former Rivals

by Paleomario66



Series: Dragon Ball: A New Deviation [1]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-09 03:30:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20481329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paleomario66/pseuds/Paleomario66
Summary: In the final battle with Cell, after Trunks is killed, Vegeta ascends beyond Super Saiyan. Cell then utilizes a trump card that puts him above Vegeta and Gohan individually, forcing them to join forces against the Bio-Android. How will they fare, and will they be able to team up like this against future threats?





	1. Awakened Fury! Vegeta's Vengeance!

** _Dragon Ball: A New Deviation_ **

** _An Alliance of Former Rivals_ **

**Cell Games Arc- Part 1**

**Chapter 1 - Awakened Fury! Vegeta's Vengeance!**

* * *

"Goodbye, Gohan."

Those were the last words that came out of Son Goku mouth before he teleported away with Cell.

Gohan cried out in anguish, "DON'T LEAVE US!"

"GOKU!" Krillin howled.

All of the Z-Fighters were hit hard by Goku taking Cell down with him to save Earth. Even Vegeta was visibly shaken by what had transpired. "Kakarot..." he growled under his breath.

While everyone was horrified by the events that occurred just now, Gohan was hit harder than anyone else present.

"DAAAAAAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!"

Overwhelmed by grief, Gohan dropped down to his knees and arms, reverting to the normal Super Saiyan form as tears ran down his face. Krillin walked over to the grief-stricken Gohan and gently placed a hand on his back. He smiled and reassured, "Good job, Gohan. It's all over now. You two saved the world."

"Don't say that to me," Gohan sobbed. "I should have killed Cell when I had the chance. I let my power take control of me, and now Dad's dead! This is all my fault!"

"Look, you can't be so hard on yourself," Krillin replied. "Whether your power took control of you or the other way around, it saved us. And that's a fact."

He added, "Don't tell me you didn't see the look on your dad's face. Come on, if that wasn't the smile of a proud papa, I don't know what is."

Gohan looked back up at Krillin, with tears still on his face. Krillin helped Gohan get to his feet, and the two went over to the group. The monk noticed Android 18 lying on the ground, in a pile of Cell's saliva, and went over to her. He lifted the unconscious android into his arms. Meanwhile, Gohan looked up in the sky. He was no longer crying, but a few tears were still on his face. "Bye, dad..." he whispered to himself.

Krillin was about to walk off, taking 18 with him, when Vegeta cut in. "Hold it. I seriously hope you're not planning to restore that thing, for your sake. If it's still active, then destroy it!" he demanded.

Krillin pleaded, "Aw come on. She's not that bad once you get to know her a little bit."

"You're a fool."

Vegeta crossed his arms in annoyance. He didn't feel like killing Krillin over this, but he wasn't too happy that the bald monk wanted to spare the android that had broken his arm not too long ago. Suddenly, a gust of wind caught all of the Z-Fighters off-guard. They all sensed a familiar ki signal, but this time it was even greater than before.

"But... how?" Piccolo gasped.

The gusts of wind from the massive power returning destroyed several rocks around the Z-Fighters. A beam of energy swiftly flew at the Z-Fighters, and it hit Trunks square in the chest. The Half-Saiyan groaned in pain as he collapsed to the ground. A familiar voice chuckled, "Who's scream was that? Ah yes, Trunks."

The gusts of wind and dust floating around died down, revealing Cell... but with the same appearance as his Perfect form, only with electricity sparking around him. "Surprised to see me?" Cell questioned with a chuckle. Allow me to explain. This is what you might refer to as a happy accident. Deep inside my skull, there is a small lump of matter. I suppose you might call it a nucleus. Left untouched, it's extremely useful, and as long as it's intact, I can recover indefinitely."

Remembering his near-death at King Kai's planet, he continued. "Now, fortunately for me, that nasty little explosion didn't damage me one bit. And here's the part that's really going to catch you. I wasn't even planning on this. It was perfect luck, nothing more. Luckier still was the fact that even without 18, I managed to regenerate into my perfect form. Or should I say, a more, perfect form. Like Gohan, my power increased exponentially. It seems this body has taken a cue from Saiyan biology, and from my near death, I gained infinite stores of strength. I even managed to pick up Goku's Instant Transmission technique."

Gohan clenched his fists and yelled out, ascending back to Super Saiyan 2 once more. A smirk appeared on his face, confusing Cell. "Does something amuse you?" he questioned.

"I'm glad you came back. It was because of my mistake that Dad had to sacrifice himself. It's my fault he put himself in that position. I would have given anything for a chance to do it over again. Now I have one!"

Vegeta froze, remembering his son being mortally wounded by Cell. Yamcha ran up to Trunks to see if he had a chance of living. He placed a hand on Trunks' chest, feeling for a heartbeat. As he did so, he realized that his worst fears had come true. "He's dead..."

_"He's dead..."_

The words echoed in Vegeta's head. He gasped, "It's... impossible..."

First, Cell had forced Goku, his rival, to sacrifice his life, meaning his chances of a rematch with Goku were now zero. To make matters worse, Cell had come back, making Goku's sacrifice useless. And now, his son had been killed. Vegeta had never witnessed the death of his family right in front of him, and since he met Future Trunks, Vegeta had shown little affection for the boy. Once he saw him die, however, everything changed.

Vegeta clenched his fists, and growled, "Trunks..."

Electricity sparked around the Saiyan prince, and his heart rate rose, as his power increased. _Enough of this! I will be the one to put an end to this monster! Not Kakarot's son, or anyone else! For Trunks' sake, Bulma's, Kakarot's, his son's, and even for this mudball of a world!_

Something inside Vegeta snapped, and Vegeta let out a deafening roar. "AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHH! RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

His power skyrocketed, as his hair spiked up, electricity sparking around him, and the ground cracking below him. The Z-Fighters nearby held their arms up, protecting themselves from the sheer force of Vegeta's growing power. Even Gohan and Cell were stunned by Vegeta's growth in power.

"There's no way..." Gohan wheezed.

Cell was similarly in disbelief. "Vegeta?!"

Vegeta's power finally reached its peak, and he glared at the bio-Android. Vegeta looked the same as before, except with the sparking electricity around him and the spiked-up hair present in Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 form. "Cell..." he snarled. "I'm putting an end to this. You and me, right now."

Cell arrogantly laughed at Vegeta's challenge. "Did that transformation make your brain swell up a bit? What are you now, Ultra Super Vegeta? Even with your power increase, you're no match for-"

The bio-android was cut off by the Saiyan Prince rushing at him. Cell attempted to land a punch on Vegeta, but the Saiyan dodged the attack and punched him hard in the stomach. Cell took a step back, clutching his stomach in pain. Mere moments later, Cell found himself being punched in the face and stomach several more times, before being kicked away by Vegeta.

Cell got to his feet slowly, and he felt himself wobble. Cell fell forward, catching himself with his hands. He got to his feet and clutched his stomach in pain. The bio-Android glared at the Saiyan in front of him. "Damn... you.." he snarled.

Vegeta walked slowly towards Cell, remaining silent, while still having a murderous expression on his face. Cell held out a hand at the angered prince and fired a large energy blast right at him. Vegeta swiftly smacked the blast away with his right arm. The blast was sent flying off into space. Cell flew towards Vegeta, and the latter did the same to Cell. Cell tried to punch Vegeta in the face once more, only for Vegeta to catch it with his right hand.

Cell froze with terror. Once again, he had been outclassed, and _Vegeta_ of all people had outmatched him, even though Cell reached a level of power beyond his Perfect form. Vegeta struck Cell with an uppercut, knocking him into the air. He flew up right above him, before pelting his stomach with a flurry of punches. He followed with an elbow to Cell's face, sending him flying towards the ground.

Vegeta held out a hand down at Cell and began charging energy from it. He shouted, "BIG BANG ATTACK!"

The Big Bang Attack rocketed towards Cell, who was still falling to the ground. Cell had a look of terror on his face once he saw the Big Bang Attack. Quickly, Cell fired an energy blast while in mid-air to recover, but it was too late. The Big Bang Attack hit him directly, creating a large explosion. Vegeta smirked, expecting Cell to be badly injured by the attack.

When the dust from the explosion appeared, Cell was on his hands and knees, bruised and beaten. He slowly got to his feet, before glaring up at the prince. He clenched his fists, and his power started growing. His yellow aura crackling with electricity returned, but even larger than before. Vegeta's smirk disappeared, replaced by a look of curiosity. All of the other Z-Fighters were stunned to see that Cell hadn't shown his true power yet. Even Gohan couldn't believe the power he was sensing from him.

Vegeta descended down to the ground and got into a fighting pose. Cell dashed towards Vegeta and slammed his fist into the prince's face. Vegeta, caught off guard by this, was knocked to the ground by Cell's attack. Vegeta jumped to his feet and flew back at Cell. The two clashed their hands and locked their fingers together, pushing against each other. An electric aura burst around them, and the power from their clash created a strong wind that everyone nearby felt.

As Vegeta and Cell both continued pushing against each other, the former slowly gained the upper hand. Cell found himself being kneed in the gut and pushed away. Vegeta flew forward and kneed Cell once more, continuing to push him back. Cell swiftly elbowed Vegeta in the side of his face, knocking him back. Vegeta recovered while in mid-air and kicked Cell in the face, causing him to hit the ground. He followed with a kick upwards, sending Cell into the air.

Vegeta flew above Cell and put his hands together to form a combined fist. He slammed down on Cell, but he didn't hit anything. Cell had disappeared just before Vegeta could strike him. The bio-android appeared above him. "Gotcha!"

Vegeta turned around, but he was too late. Cell blasted Vegeta with an energy wave, blasting him down towards the ground. He then fired a volley of energy blasts down at him. The Saiyan prince spun in mid-air before touching down. He raised his right hand while curling back his fingers, and created a white energy sphere. He pulled back his arm and shouted, "PHOTON BOMBER!"

Vegeta thrust the energy sphere up at the energy ball volley. The Photon Bomber blasts right past the barrage of energy balls, directly towards Cell. Cell swiftly teleported out of the way of the blast, and above Vegeta. He plunged at the Saiyan prince, as he enhanced his fist with ki. He thrust down his fist at Vegeta. A blinding light surrounded the two of them.

When the light cleared, everyone was shocked to see that Vegeta had _caught_ Cell's punch. Cell gasped in horror. "Impossible!"

Vegeta swung his other fist back and slammed it into Cell's stomach. Cell spat out green blood in pain. Vegeta's fist glowed with energy as Cell continued to watch in terror. The bio-Android felt a surge of immense pain as an energy blast was fired through his stomach. Cell slowly stepped back, grabbing his stomach while he groaned in agony. Vegeta moved a leg back and kicked Cell away. The force of Vegeta's kick sent him flying into a large boulder.

Gohan simply watched in shock. "Unbelievable!" He marveled. "I don't know how it happened, but Vegeta's power has surpassed my own!"

Cell slowly got to his feet while regenerating the hole in his stomach. "Vegeta!" Piccolo called out. "Finish him off!"

Vegeta laughed. "I'm not done with him yet! He deserves to die slowly and painfully!"

All of the Z-Fighters facepalmed.

Gohan became furious at Vegeta's arrogance. _Oh no, he's becoming like I was before Cell tried to blow himself up! Maybe even worse!_

"Do you know what you're doing?!" he shouted. "Remember how I tortured Cell just like you're doing now?! That almost got the Earth destroyed! The only reason we're still alive is that dad teleported Cell away before he could blow himself up! If he tries anything like that again, there will be no way to stop him!"

Gohan's outburst caused Vegeta to turn around and gape at him. "And if he succeeds, everyone on this planet will die! Bulma will die, and Trunks will never be able to be revived again!"

Vegeta hesitated, but after a moment he gave in and rushed towards Cell. Cell had already recovered and had powered up once more. He shouted, "Kaio-ken!"

A red aura flared up around Cell, covering his whole body. Vegeta froze immediately. Cell took this opportunity to appear in front of Vegeta and punch him in the face. Vegeta was knocked into the air, headed for another boulder. He swiftly rebounded off the boulder and dashed at Cell. Cell held out his arm, blocking a punch from Vegeta. He followed by firing a kiai at Vegeta's face.

The Saiyan prince yelled out in pain and grabbed his face. Cell grabbed Vegeta by the head and flew to a gigantic rock at high speeds. He threw Vegeta onto the rock, breaking it. Vegeta stumbled to his feet. He got into a fighting pose once more, sweat dripping down his face.

_Cell has activated the Kaio-ken and backed Vegeta into a corner! How will Vegeta fare against the deadly Bio-Android? Does he have a chance? Find out, next time on Alliance of Former Rivals!  
_

* * *

**Next Chapter Preview:**

**"Are you mad? Why would I team up with the likes of you?!"**

**Next time on _An Alliance of Former Rivals_: "Differences Settled! Gohan and Vegeta vs. Cell!"**


	2. Differences Settled! Gohan and Vegeta vs. Cell

_ **Dragon Ball: A New Deviation** _

**An Alliance of Former Rivals**

**Cell Games Arc: Part 2**

**Chapter 2: ** **Differences Settled! Gohan and Vegeta vs. Cell**

* * *

_Previously, on An Alliance of Former Rivals, Goku teleported Cell away, along with himself, to save the Earth. However, Cell survived his self-destruction and came back to Earth, killing Trunks along the way. Devastated by this loss, Vegeta unlocked Super Saiyan 2 and began overwhelming Cell. Even when the Bio-Android released his full power, Vegeta proved to be superior. Unfortunately, Cell had one more trick up his sleeve: the Kaio-ken. Vegeta found himself on the ropes once more. Can Vegeta find a way to regain the upper hand and defeat Cell? The battle continues now!_

**Differences Settled! Gohan and Vegeta vs. Cell**

Vegeta faced Cell, as sweat dripped down his face. Despite his surprise and fear, Vegeta still was absolutely furious, and he wasn't going to be backing down. Cell laughed cockily. "What's wrong, Vegeta?" he taunted. "I thought that you were going to avenge your son."

Cell dashed at Vegeta and slammed his fist into his stomach. Vegeta was flung against a boulder, which broke into pieces. As Vegeta lay there, the memories of the bio-Android impaling Trunks resurfaced. _Trunks..._

Vegeta clenched his fists, and his bio-electric aura reignited, blasting apart the pieces of the boulder. He jumped to his feet, and he furiously glared at Cell. He growled, "Cell... You've mocked me, humiliated me in battle, killed Kakarot... but now... You've made the biggest mistake of your life..."

Vegeta let out a roar of fury as his power spiked up. "**I'LL SEND YOU TO HELL, EVEN IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!**"

He flew toward Cell and swung his fist at him. Cell held out his arm, barely blocking the punch. Cell gritted his teeth as he struggled to hold back Vegeta's attack. _What?! How is he-_

Cell was caught off by a crushing blow to his gut. He found himself being kicked away and being sent sliding across the ground. Vegeta rushed at his opponent, while bellowing, "CEEEEEEELLLLLLLL!"

Cell and Vegeta threw a punch at each other. Both punches hit each other's faces. Cell swung his other fist directly into Vegeta's chest. The Saiyan prince grabbed his chest and doubled down in pain. Cell teleported behind Vegeta. He punched the air several times, firing multiple kiais at Vegeta's back. Vegeta stumbled over, stopping his fall with both of his hands.

Cell held up his arm, and formed a yellow ki ball much like Vegeta did earlier. He yelled, "PHOTON BOMBER!"

The bio-android thrust the ki sphere directly at Vegeta. Vegeta gasped upon seeing the ki blast approach him. Unfortunately, it was too late for him to get out of the way. It hit him head-on, creating a large explosion. When the dust cleared, Vegeta lay on the ground, battered. He slowly got to his feet and turned towards Cell. He dashed at him, with his fist held out towards him.

Cell struck Vegeta in the side of his face and kneed him in the stomach. Vegeta was flung to the ground by the force of Cell's kick. Cell cupped his hands together and began charging energy between them. He chanted, "Kame... Hame..."

Vegeta managed to get to his feet, but he realized that he wouldn't be able to get away from Cell's attack quickly enough. Cell was about to fire the Kamehameha when suddenly, a Masenko struck Cell in the face, saving Vegeta from certain annihilation. "AGH!" He yelled out in pain and grabbed his face.

Cell found his face burst with pain like he had not too long ago. Gohan landed next to Vegeta, with electricity sparking around his body. Gohan had enough of Cell's torturing of others. It was time for this violence to come to an end. With his friends in mind, as well as a family to protect - a future he needed to secure with his father's legacy brimming through him, Gohan slowly gets into a fighting pose, a serious look etched onto his face. No more games. This final battle will settle it all.

"What the hell are you doing, boy?!" Vegeta demanded.

Gohan sighed before replying, "I'm trying to help you, Vegeta."

Vegeta growled, "I don't need help from anyone, least of all the spawn of Kakarot! I can handle this on my own!"

Gohan became angrier and angrier at Vegeta's words. _Damn it, Vegeta, how arrogant can you get?!_

Vegeta's arrogance and pride had always been a problem, ever since the fight with Freeza. Now, however, it couldn't have come at a worse time. If Cell had another trump card, there would be no hope left for the Earth.

"Would you rather let Cell succeed?! If he does, everyone on Earth will die, even Bulma! And Trunks, _your son_ who you just grieved for, won't ever be revived again!"

Vegeta's mouth gaped open as he attempted to process Gohan's words. But Gohan wasn't done yet.

"Look, I get that you want to make Cell suffer for him killing Trunks! I felt the same way not too long ago, and look what happened because of that! My cockiness nearly caused the Earth to be destroyed, and the only reason we're alive is that Dad sacrificed himself! If Cell tries anything like that again, there will be no way to stop him! Do you really want that, Vegeta?!"

Vegeta had a scowl on his face as he clenched his fists, torn on whether to stand by his decision or swallow his pride and help Gohan fight Cell. Gohan shouted, "_Tell me, Vegeta, if you really have changed from the ruthless killer you once were, fight alongside me against Cell, this one time!_"

After a moment of contemplation, Vegeta made his decision, but with a reluctant growl. "If we team up, are you sure we can kill off Cell?"

Gohan admitted, "I don't know for sure, but at least we stand a fighting chance!"

Gohan's will started to overwhelm him again as determination powered his soul. His aura grew once again, and with a faster-than-light dash, he charged at Cell. Vegeta dashed alongside Gohan. Cell held his arms out, and yelled out, as he formed an energy barrier, pushing the duo back. He smirked, as his Kaio-ken slowly reached its peak. "You know what? This planet was good, but now..."

"_It's time for the closing scene._"

Suddenly, Cell swiftly thrust an energy blast aimed at Vegeta so quickly that Vegeta knew he couldn't get out of the way fast enough. Gohan shouted, "NO!"

Gohan was not going to let Vegeta suffer the same fate as his son. He dashed forward and tackled Vegeta out of the way, the feeling of death, pain, and the throbbing sound of his heart in his ears being ignored. As the blast hit him, Gohan screamed in agony as blood trickled down to the floor. His arm has been severely injured, and his power slowly falls in half.

Vegeta got to his feet, slightly injured by the blast, though due to not taking the full force of it, he was nowhere near as badly hurt as Gohan was. Gohan struggled to ignore that beating pain, but he could only take so much. He started screaming as the burning pain overwhelmed him once again. Cell laughed at Gohan's pain. "You idiot," he scoffed. "Might as well have not even done that."

He started laughing as blue waves of ki began rising from his body, as he slowly cupped his hands, preparing one huge planet-shattering attack. Gohan gasped upon seeing the familiar stance. "W-what?!"

Vegeta was speechless. "How the hell did you get this strong?! The Kaio-ken should have taken a massive toll on you!"

Vegeta remembered how Goku used it against him in their first fight and how it increased Goku's power, but heavily damaged his body. Cell replied, "Have you forgotten what I am, Vegeta? Being a Bio-Android, I can easily modify the cells that I am made out of. Remember how I could regenerate from anything? Even though I have Piccolo's cells, Piccolo wouldn't be capable of regenerating from the damage I took. Similarly, Goku would be incapable of maintaining the Kaio-ken like this, but due to modifying his cells, I can not only use the Kaio-ken for extended time periods, but I can increase it as I fight!"

Gohan fell to his knees. "No..." he cried. "Earth is..."

Vegeta clenched his fists as he lowered his head. "Damn it... I'm... sorry... Gohan..."

The teary-eyed Gohan looked up at Vegeta after his statement. _Vegeta apologized? So even he knows that there's no hope..._

"So, Gohan. _Aren't you going to fight back_?" Cell taunted, with pure evil starting to show in the tone of his voice.

Gohan solemnly replied, "What's the whole point? Our earth is doomed to die anyway. This is our fate. Now I've lost the one chance to beat you."

Vegeta prepared to charge a Final Flash, still having some determination left. Cell jeered, "Oh, even _Vegeta_ has the determination. Well, guess what?"

A crackle of energy from Cell struck Vegeta in the body like a sharp dagger, causing Vegeta's power to drop sharply as well. The Saiyan prince yelled out in pain as he stumbled over. "Vegeta!" Gohan shouted.

Gohan and Vegeta both appeared defeated at that point. "It's over..." Gohan sighed.

"No..."

A single tear dropped out of Vegeta's eye. Out of the blue, a voice spoke to Gohan. "_Giving up already? __That's not like the Gohan I know."_

Gohan looked up in shock upon hearing the voice. "_F-father_?! W-where... are you?"

Cell and Vegeta were both unable to hear Goku's voice, however. "What? Are you mumbling a prayer before you die?" Cell sneered.

"What the hell are you doing, Gohan?" Vegeta quipped.

Goku chuckled. _"Heh. The otherworld! King Kai helped me! Anyway..."_

_"Listen, Gohan..."_ he continued.

_"I know you have the power to beat him. I've sensed it all along. Don't listen to him. You're better than this. You're better than him. You're better than ME! _ _Now... Gohan... Plant your feet... grit your teeth... AND GIVE HIM THE BIGGEST KAMEHAMEHA YOU'VE GOT!_ _"_

Slowly, the same determination rose in Gohan as he looked up. Gohan slowly outstretched his hand. "Wow, so the end is truly dramatic," Cell joked. "Is this your final wind, or your dying gasp?"

Gohan and the spirit of Goku prepared their final attack. "KA... ME..."

Vegeta had a look of surprise on his face at what Gohan was doing. _With one arm?_

"HA... ME..."

While releasing his attack, Cell shouted, "NOW, YOU DIE!"

A blue silhouette of Goku's spirit appears behind Gohan, and the father-son duo released the blast. "**HAAAAAA!**!"

Tension fills the air, as the two blasts collide with great force. As Gohan unleashed his attack, the memory of Cell impaling Trunks flows through Vegeta's head once more, remotivating him. Vegeta got into a stance and held out his arms. He began charging energy between his hands. "FINAAALLLLL..."

"A dramatic conclusion, eh?" Cell laughed. "A final stand against the almighty being!"

"**FLAAAASSHHHHHHH!**"

Vegeta fired the blast at Cell, combining it with Gohan's one-handed Kamehameha to form a Final Kamehameha. Goku continued to encourage his son as he and Vegeta struggled against Cell. _"__Gohan... hang in there!"_

"Yeah, I'm trying!" Gohan yelled. "Vegeta's here to help me out, but it's not really helping even the odds! It was my fault... I led us to this. If I hadn't finished him earlier... I... I.."

_"Gohan. It's best you just STOP attacking_ yourself!" Goku insisted. _"__I don't know where you got that in your head that there's something wrong with you, because there's NOT! __YOU'VE SAVED OUR LIVES SO MANY TIMES, NOW YOU'RE GOING TO DO IT AGAIN!__"_

Gohan cried, "I can't...! He's too much for me to handle! I'm just a kid! I haven't changed!"

Flashbacks of Gohan's previous failures among everybody flashed in his eyes.

_"_ _Oh yeah? Well, put that fact aside. You're going to do it again!"_

Cell still was unable to tell what was going on, as he couldn't hear Goku's voice. "WHAT ARE YOU CHANTING NOW? A LITTLE PRAYER BEFORE DEATH AWAITS YOU?"

On the sides, Piccolo had enough of sitting around and watching the fight play out. He wasn't going to let his pupil die. "Damn it! I'm not just gonna stand there and watch them struggle!"

He now had a determined look on his face. "...I'm coming, Gohan."

He suddenly skyrocketed to them at a fast speed, desperate to help. He held two fingers to his forehead, charging energy from them. **"LIGHT OF DEATH!"**

Piccolo shot the attack at Cell. Unfortunately, it easily pelted off of him. Krillin, Yamcha, and Tenshinhan all appeared by Piccolo's side, ready to support him. They fired a Kamehameha, Spirit Ball, and Neo Tri-Beam respectively. Their attempts were in vain, as the attacks had no effect on Cell, and as they continue attacking, they begin to get tired fast, and the feeling of hopelessness dawns on their souls. But seeing how determined and brave Gohan and Vegeta are to stand on Cell... they won't be quitting just yet.

Cell laughed at the failing attempts of the Z-Fighters. "Pathetic nobodies. What, are you all thinking you can make a difference?"

Cell yelled out as a rush of power generated into tidal waves of wind, blowing the Z-Fighters back. Gohan became furious once he saw his friends get hurt. "No... he hurt them... **HE HURT THEM!**"

He screamed in rage as his power started to skyrocket, increasing the size and power of the Final Kamehameha. Cell responded by slowly increasing his power even more. Piccolo struggled to get up once again, his heart pounding as he spits out blood, feeling stubborn... with the resolve to beat Cell. "No, Gohan," he spoke. "I won't let you die out there... as a kid... ...you were the first person to show me... what it was like... to have a friend."

Krillin and Yamcha both got to their feet, with the same resolve as Piccolo. "Like... father like son, huh?" Yamcha stated. "You've shown us time and time again the right way Goku, protected us so many times, and I just want to tell you I'm going to do the same for your son, Goku! That's a promise!"

Burning yellow energy waves burst out of their hands like flames, speeding towards Cell once again, desperately trying to make an attempt in this futile situation. Anger bubbled in Cell once again. "Lining up to die, eh?" Cell snarled. "WHY DIDN'T YOU FOOLS JUST ASK?"

He suddenly yells out once again, striking the Z-Fighters with his immense power. The Final Kamehameha gets much weaker, as the Planet Eating Solar Kamehameha dominates it into the point it's just a tiny fraction of what it once was. From the Otherworld, Goku once again tried to motivate Gohan. _"__Gohan, hang in there!"_

_"_ _Release it, Gohan. _ _Release EVERYTHING! _ _Remember all the people he hurt... _ _NOW MAKE THAT YOUR POWER!"_

Inspired by Goku's speech, Gohan's power starts to skyrocket even further. Meanwhile, Vegeta feels his power slipping. Cell suddenly starts to, oddly, feel the same thing. "Wait... what?"

Vegeta's hair returns to his normal black color as he falls to the ground. "Damn it!" he cursed.

As he fell to the floor, he heard Cell shriek in terror as the Kaio-ken ran out and he reverted back to his "Super Perfect" form, rekindling his motivation. _I won't give up yet! I don't have the energy to do a Final Flash... but... __But I can still make a difference!_

Vegeta flew over to where Piccolo and the others are. Piccolo gets up, seizing the opportunity, and with all his might in this final, combined attack, he yells, "**LIGHT OF DEATH****!**"

The Light of Death strikes Cell swiftly, catching him off-guard. "Krillin!" Piccolo shouted.

While Piccolo fired the Light of Death, Krillin had prepared a Destructo Disk. Piccolo yelled, "NOW!" _This has to work! __HANG IN THERE, GOHAN! IT'S GOING TO WORK, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!_

"DESTRUCTO DISK!"

Krillin tossed the energy disk, aiming it at Cell's middle. "NANI?!" Cell gasped.

The Destructo Disk slices him, slightly, forcing him to use energy into his regeneration and causing him to lose some power whilst doing so. Newfound fear started to creep into the bio-Android.

"No... no effect!" Piccolo grunted. "He's wide open while he's regenerating! But we can't launch another... attack..."

Piccolo and Krillin collapse, finally done. With the last bit of his energy, Vegeta powers up to Super Saiyan 2 once more. "BIG BANG ATTACK!"

He launched the Big Bang Attack directly at Cell. "VEGETA?!" Cell screeched incredulously.

The attack hit Cell head-on, causing him to stumble over and to drop out of his stance, heavily weakening the Solar Kamehameha. Goku shouted to his son, _"NOW'S YOUR CHANCE!"_

"**RAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**"

Gohan gave one final push, giving it all he had. Cell starts screaming in fear, his cowardly genes taking over. Vegeta smirks while reverting back to his base form. Cell watches, all so slowly as his beam is completely overwhelmed, slowly, as if his past deeds came back to torture him. "I told you," Gohan rebuked. "I told you what would happen if you made me snap."

He slowly starts to walk to Cell, advancing to the Bio-Android as his beam crushes through his. "...You just didn't listen, did you? This is the end, Cell."

Vegeta smirked at Cell's fear. _That's for killing my son, Cell._

"No... this can't be!" Cell cried. "This... can't be..."

The end starts to draw near as his sins are being amended. His body starts breaking apart as he screams, "**I AM PERFECTION!**"

Cell is completely destroyed by the Kamehameha. Gohan raises his hand in the air. "I did it, dad!"

He smirks and falls to the ground while reverting to his base form. All of the other Z-Fighters flew over to where Gohan was. For once, a smile appeared on Vegeta's face. _Trunks_..._ I've finally avenged you..._

Cell was gone. The threat was over. The reign of terror had lifted... While the defeat of Cell had come at the cost of Goku and Trunks' lives, the Earth was safe once more.

* * *

** Power Scale for Cell Games Arc (Fighters ranked from Strongest to weakest) **

_Tier SSS: _ _Super Perfect Cell (Kaio-ken [Full Power]), _ _Super Perfect Cell (Kaio-ken [initial]) = Vegeta (Super Saiyan 2 [enraged]), _ _Pre-Teen Gohan (Super Saiyan 2 [enraged]),_ _Vegeta (Super Saiyan 2 [initial]), _ _Super Perfect Cell (Full Power) = Pre-Teen Gohan (Super Saiyan 2), _ _Super Perfect Cell (Suppressed)_

_Tier SS: _ _Perfect Cell, _ _Pre-Teen Gohan (Full Power Super Saiyan), _ _Goku (Full Power Super Saiyan), _ _Vegeta (Super Saiyan Grade 3)_

_Tier S: _ _Vegeta (Super Saiyan Grade 2), _ _Future Trunks (Super Saiyan Grade 2), _ _Cell Jr, _ _Piccolo, _ _Semi-Perfect Cell_

_Tier AAA: _ _Vegeta (Super Saiyan Grade 1), _ _Future Trunks (Super Saiyan Grade 1)_

_Tier AA: _ _Vegeta (Base), _ _Pre-Teen Gohan (Base), _ _Goku (Base), _ _Future Trunks (Base)_

_Tier A: _ _Tenshinhan, _ _Krillin_

_Tier B: Yamcha_

**Note:** Some of these transformations or characters listed did not appear in my fanfic, but appeared in the actual series before the starting point of my fanfic (ex: Semi-Perfect Cell, Cell Jr, Super Saiyan Grade 1, 2, and 3 Vegeta, Future Trunks' transformations).


	3. A Bittersweet Ending! Earth's New Defenders Step Up!

_ **Dragon Ball: A New Deviation** _

**An Alliance of Former Rivals**

**Intergalactic Tournament Arc: Part 1**

**Chapter 3: A Bittersweet Ending! Earth's New Defenders Step Up!**

* * *

_Previously, on An Alliance of Former Rivals, Cell had Vegeta on the ropes thanks to the Kaio-ken technique. Before Cell could finish off Vegeta, Gohan stepped in. Reluctantly, Vegeta teamed up with Gohan against Cell. Unfortunately, even their combined power failed. Despite this, the two did not give up. After a long final stand, and assistance from Krillin, Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and Piccolo, Gohan and Vegeta were able to put an end to the Bio-Android's terror. Now, the Earth was safe, but at the cost of the lives of Trunks and Goku._

**A Bittersweet Ending! Earth's New Defenders Step Up!**

It was finally over. After an all-out showdown, Gohan and Vegeta had put an end to Cell and his reign of terror. Gohan lay on the ground, exhausted and injured. Vegeta slowly descended to the ground, with a genuine smile on his face, one that had never been seen before.

Piccolo smiled down at the injured half-Saiyan. "You did it, Gohan. You defeated Cell and saved the Earth."

Gohan chuckled. "I couldn't have done it without you guys helping me. Especially Vegeta. He deserves at least as much of the credit as I do. Probably even more."

Piccolo, Tenshinhan, Yamcha, and Krillin glanced over at the Saiyan prince. Vegeta huffed, and turned away, not wanting to admit that he fought for the Earth's sake. Tenshinhan looked a little uneasy, as he had never really liked Vegeta. Even though Vegeta was no longer evil, he was still reluctant to consider him part of their group. Still, Tenshinhan had gained some new-found respect for Vegeta due to his selflessness that he displayed in the battle against Cell.

"Don't worry," Krillin cut in. "We'll get you up to the Lookout. The Sensu Beans may be gone, but once Dende does his thing, you'll be as good as new!"

Yamcha gently lifted the injured Gohan up, preparing to carry him back to the Lookout. Gohan briefly thanked Yamcha before passing out.

"Gohan!" Krillin cried out in concern for his friend's son.

"He's fine," Yamcha assured. "He's just passed out from fatigue, that's all."

Tenshinhan added, "Well if you're sure you've got Gohan, I'll take Trunks."

Krillin agreed and quickly grabbed 18. Before he could take off, Vegeta stepped in front of the monk, with his arms crossed.

"Are you seriously planning on healing her too?"

Krillin gasped. "Oh come on, Vegeta! We went over this already! She's not a bad person! And even if she becomes a threat, she's nothing compared to you and Gohan!"

Vegeta gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, still wanting to kill 18. After a moment, he relaxed and turned away, rolling his eyes. "Fine, whatever!"

Krillin relaxed, relieved that Vegeta was willing to spare her. Krillin took off with 18, as did Yamcha with Gohan, and Tenshinhan with Trunks. Piccolo and Vegeta followed the group.

* * *

**The Lookout**

All of the Z-Fighters arrived on the Lookout shortly, with Tenshinhan carrying Trunks' corpse and Yamcha carrying the unconscious Gohan. Dende quickly got to healing Gohan. Though he was relieved to see that he was okay, he felt sorry for what happened to Goku. Gohan told him that Dende had no reason to be and that his father was there the whole time, helping him and Vegeta take on Cell. He argued that if it hadn't been for Vegeta and Goku, the Earth would not have been saved.

18 woke up shortly after. Yamcha warned Dende to get out of the way, as she was "dangerous", causing 18 to panic for a moment. Krillin attempted to reassure her, saying that Vegeta and Gohan killed Cell. Piccolo explained to her that Krillin defended 18 after Cell spat her out. Krillin hastily added that he did it because nobody else would. Gohan pointed out that Krillin had a crush on 18, much to the bald monk's embarrassment, and to the shock of Yamcha, Tenshinhan, and Vegeta.

18 stated that she wasn't going to simply fall in love with him because he saved her. She then took off, flying back down towards Earth. Krillin felt crushed that 18 had basically rejected him. "Forget about her," Piccolo interjected. "Right now, our top priority should be wishing back Trunks with the Dragon Balls."

Mr. Popo quickly grabbed the Dragon Balls while Krillin looked down, saddened by 18's rejection of him. Gohan tried to cheer him up. "Don't worry, Krillin! We're still your friends!"

Gohan's words did little to console Krillin, however, and he weakly responded, "Do me a favor... shut up.."

Mr. Popo set the Dragon Balls on the ground. The Dragon Balls began glowing as the sky darkened. Dende held out his hands toward the Dragon Balls. "Come forth, Shenron!" he chanted. "We summon you to grant our wish!"

A bright light formed from the Dragon Balls and morphed into the shape of a dragon. The light moved up above the Lookout and formed into Shenron. "Who summons me? Speak your wishes so I may return to my slumber," the dragon commanded.

The first wish came from Yamcha. "Shenron! For our first wish, we'd like you to bring back everyone who was killed by Cell!"

"That is a simple wish to grant." Shenron's eyes glowed red.

Trunks woke up, as he was one of the people who was killed by Cell. Unfortunately, one person wasn't there. "It's as I feared," Piccolo said. "I was hoping Goku would be brought back, but Dende created the new Shenron based off the old model, so they must have the same limitations. I don't sense Goku's energy."

"What is your second wish?" Shenron boomed. "I do not like to wait."

Yamcha asked, "Hey, Shenron! Is there any way you could bring Goku back to life just one more time?"

"That is not possible. Goku has already been brought back once."

"No! There has to be another way!" Tenshinhan insisted.

Dende suggested, "What about Porunga? He could bring him back!"

Everyone immediately became ecstatic, remembering that Porunga can resurrect a person as many times as necessary. Yamcha added, "All right! Then we just need to zap there with wish number two!"

Before they could make their wish, however, a voice interjected. _"Hey, don't I get a say in this?"_

The Z-Fighters looked up in the sky, recognizing that the voice came from Goku through communication with King Kai. Vegeta didn't quite understand what was happening, though. "K...Kakarot?"

_"I'm speaking to you all telepathically from Otherworld through King Kai. I'll try to make this quick. You see, Bulma told me something many years ago, and it kind of stuck with me. She said I was like a magnet for all of the bad guys that were always popping up. And you know, that's not too far from the truth. I really think Earth's going to be safer if I just stay where I am now, and King Kai agrees with me! Because of all of the times I saved Earth, I'm getting special privileges up here. Most people, especially bad guys, turn into spirits, but I've been allowed to keep my body, and I won't age at all! Plus, there's a ton of old fighting masters from before our time up here, so I won't be bored up here. King Kai's been resurrected because of Shenron, but he's going to be showing me around here, so I'll still have some company."_

Everyone seemed disappointed by Goku's explanation, while Piccolo seemed to understand a little bit. Vegeta, however, was beyond livid. Before Goku could add anything else, he roared, "Is that a joke?! You really think the Earth would be safer if you weren't around?! I've never heard you say anything so idiotic!"

"B..but, Vege-" Goku attempted to defend himself but was cut off again by Vegeta.

"No! You have a chance to come back to life, and you better take it! Even if most of our enemies have come to Earth because of you, that doesn't mean we won't ever be attacked if you're gone!"

Gohan decided to speak up at that moment. "Dad, even if you're right, that doesn't mean we don't need you!"

"The Earth will be just fine without me," Goku said. "Vegeta, once you put aside your pride to avenge Trunks, you grew stronger than me! And even Gohan! I'm not even close to the strength that you both showed against Cell! I know this is going to be rough for you and your mom, Gohan, and of course, I know you want a rematch with me, Vegeta, but you don't need to wish me back. And really, I think Gohan would be much more of a challenge for you, Vegeta."

Vegeta stopped for a moment and decided to think about what Goku suggested while everyone else was shocked by the idea of Gohan becoming Vegeta's new rival. "Sorry, guys, I'm out of time," Goku stated. "Enjoy your lives to the fullest, and I'll see you all when you're done, okay? Goodbye!"

Goku was gone now, and he would stay gone unless one day he decided he wanted to be wished back for some reason. The silence following Goku's farewell led everyone to mull over the memories of their friend/ally/rival.

Krillin was the first to speak up. "You know, he seemed pretty cheerful, given the circumstances."

"Yeah, I suppose he's always been laid back like that, ever since he was a kid," Yamcha added, as he remembered how Goku acted back when he was a kid. Even when Goku lost his tail, he quickly recovered from the shock.

The other Z-Fighters spent a minute or so conversing about all of the wonderful memories they had of Goku, from how he pushed ahead of everyone around him, how much he valued his friends and his mercy.

"I'm not going to miss that fool at all!" Vegeta growled. Vegeta was visibly angered at no longer having his rival around, though he absolutely refused to show it. The Z-Fighters looked at Vegeta with a mixture of shock, confusion, and anger. "We're better off without him! I, Prince Vegeta, will rise up to achieve what Kakarot never could!"

Everyone relaxed a little, but they still seemed a little perplexed. Trunks, though, simply smiled, seeing how his father was maturing thanks to Goku's death, as well as his own, even though he wasn't fully aware of what happened after he died. "Glad to hear, father. I'm sure you will. I'll make sure to see it for myself before I'm ready to head back to the future."

"So you want to learn more from me, Trunks?" Vegeta crossed his arms, with a prideful smile appearing on his face. "Seems you have the proper motivation to become a true Saiyan warrior, unlike a certain half-breed I know." Vegeta turned to Gohan while he finished talking.

Gohan had an idea of what Vegeta was getting at, though he wasn't sure. He asked, "Wait, is this related to how dad said I might be a better challenge for you than he would?"

"Exactly," the prince replied. "Though you lack the motivation that Trunks has, you have the potential to become the strongest of our race. As long as I teach you how to be a proper Saiyan warrior, you could surpass your father in every way."

At that moment, everyone's jaws dropped, especially Piccolo's and Gohan's.

"You… want… to train Gohan?" Piccolo uttered in complete disbelief.

Krillin gasped, "N..no way!"

Gohan froze for a moment, completely stunned by Vegeta's declaration. He could only get out, "... Y... You really want to train me, Vegeta? W..why?"

"After you awakened your hidden power, and Trunks was killed, I finally understood what drove your power to increase in dire situations. I always knew it was anger, but there was more to it. Whenever your power exploded, it was because the life of your loved ones or yourself was on the line. I experienced this when I turned Super Saiyan for the first time. When Cell murdered Trunks, it was the first time I ever experienced the pain of loss, and with that, I was able to reach the same transformation that you achieved and surpass you in power."

Vegeta paused for a moment before continuing, "You, though, attained the same flaws I already had, only on a completely different level. We both became drunk on the power we possessed and underestimated Cell's power. If this had been a couple of years ago, I would have considered you a true Saiyan, but after I fell victim to the same arrogance you did, I realized that I was wrong. Any Saiyan who enjoys torturing someone much weaker than him is a mindless monster and is completely unworthy of being called a Saiyan warrior! Both of us became slaves to our own power, and the Earth nearly perished because of it."

Everyone was at a complete loss of words. First, Vegeta had proclaimed that he wanted to train Gohan, the son of his biggest rival, and now Vegeta was admitting his own flaws and discarding one of his old beliefs? The same Prince of all Saiyans that always believed he was destined to become the mightiest warrior of the universe and considered everyone else below him? _What happened to you, Vegeta?_ Gohan thought to himself.

"You, though, have the potential to be the strongest of our race, due to being a Saiyan-Earthling hybrid. If you could properly harness this power with my assistance, never letting it overtake you, you could be the leader of the Saiyan race's future. At the same time, I could learn to fully control my power as well, like how you and Kakarot were able to master the power of Super Saiyan. So, are you up to challenge?"

Gohan smiled. "It would be an honor to train with you, Vegeta. There's only one problem though. I doubt my mom would let me. But if there's a way to convince her to allow me, I would be more than happy to do so."

Vegeta's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You mean Kakarot's wife?" He sighed. "I was afraid of that. No matter. If she won't let you train with me, then I'll have to confront her myself."

At that moment, Shenron interrupted the two. "Uh... you do know that I've been waiting for your second wish this whole time... Any day now..."

The Z-Fighters looked up at the annoyed Dragon. "But before that, let's decide on what our second wish should be," Gohan suggested.

* * *

After the second wish was made, which was to remove the explosive bombs from Androids 17 and 18, the Z-Fighters split off. Tenshinhan went to his place, Yamcha went off on his own, and Vegeta, Gohan, and Trunks headed to the Son family home to bring the news of Goku's death and Gohan training with Vegeta to Chi-Chi.

How exactly they were going to break the news to her was difficult for Gohan and Trunks, though Vegeta already had determined what approach he would use. "Father, I think we should be careful with how we break the news to Chi-Chi," Trunks requested. "I don't know how she'll react if we go about it the wrong way, and I'd rather not have her lose her temper."

"Of course you'd say that," Vegeta grunted. "You're both far too fearful of that woman. Let me handle her."

Gohan sighed. "You may be right, but you don't know my mom well. I don't think she would react well if you took a blunt approach with her."

The group remained silent for the rest of the flight to Gohan's home. The Saiyan trio descended to the ground once they arrived, and walked slowly towards the house. Gohan slowly walked up to the door and knocked on it several times. When Chi-Chi opened the door, a joyous expression appeared on her face, and she swiftly grabbed Gohan in a tight hug. "Gohan! I was so worried! But I knew you could beat Cell!"

Gohan smiled, happy to see his mom. "Good to see you too, mom!" He hesitated for a moment, unsure how his mom would react, but only for a moment. "While I was able to beat Cell, I can't take all of the credit for it. Vegeta helped me a lot with defeating Cell, and he deserves as much of the credit as I do, maybe even more."

"V..Vegeta helped you?" Chi-Chi spoke in a surprised tone, her eyes widened. She didn't know Vegeta very well, but she was aware of the history he had with the Z-Fighters and had believed that he was simply a heartless monster. The fact that he willingly helped Gohan defeat Cell and saved the Earth was, for her, hard to believe. "W... wow."

Chi-Chi then became concerned, as the group had made no mention of Goku. "But what about your father? Didn't he help you beat him?"

"Well.. um..." Gohan was unsure with how to break the horrible news to Chi-Chi, especially since Goku's decision to stay dead hit him really hard, even though he kind of saw where he was coming from. Plus, he wanted to do it in a way that would lessen his mother's grief. "You see..."

Trunks stepped in to tell Chi-Chi to news himself. "I'm sorry, Chi-Chi, but Goku sacrificed himself to stop Cell. He teleported Cell away before he could destroy Earth, but he was caught in the explosion and died." Trunks said this while lowering his head down solemnly.

Chi-Chi's eyes filled with tears of sadness and confusion, remembering that the sky went dark, a signal that the Eternal Dragon Shenron had been summoned. "I... don't understand," she said, as more tears gathered in her eyes. "If you used the Dragon Balls, why isn't Goku here?!"

"Dad... decided to stay dead, for our own safety," Gohan explained. "He felt that he put the Earth in too much danger and he believed Vegeta and I are strong enough to take care of the Earth so he's going to stay in Otherworld."

"He's gone?" Chi-Chi collapsed to the floor and began sobbing uncontrollably. "He'd rather stay dead? Why would he do something like this?"

Gohan leaned down and pulled his mother into a comforting hug, while Vegeta sent an annoyed look to his son. Trunks sighed, knowing exactly what Vegeta was trying to convey, though he wanted to give Chi-Chi some time to grieve. After a moment, Vegeta became increasingly frustrated. Trunks feared Vegeta was going to yell at Chi-Chi, but that wasn't the case. He simply cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of Gohan and Chi-Chi.

"Chi-Chi, there's something else we need to tell you," Trunks added.

Chi-Chi looked up at Trunks and Vegeta, with tears still on her eyes, and Gohan's arm around her. "What is it?"

Trunks was about to explain, though Vegeta interjected.

"I'll be taking Gohan in as my student to improve his abilities and mold him into a true Saiyan warrior," Vegeta stated bluntly, not at all caring how Chi-Chi would react. "He won't be sitting around doing schoolwork so much anymore."

Chi-Chi's demeanor changed from saddened to enraged in an instant. "YOU WHAT?!" She shouted. "First you tell me Goku died, and he decided to stay dead for some stupid reason, and now you have the gall to tell me you want to take away my son and train him?!"

Trunks and Gohan backed away nervously, while Vegeta stood his ground, glaring at her. "No, woman," he corrected. "I won't be taking away Gohan. But, I don't _want_ to train him. I _will_ be training him. Your son agreed to it, and insisted that we get you on board with this arrangement."

Chi-Chi's scowl darkened at Vegeta's dismissive tone. "You really think I'm going to stand for this?!"

"While your son wanted us to get you to agree to this, ultimately, your compliance isn't a factor."

"_Excuse me_?!" Chi-Chi was now absolutely livid, and she clenched her fists while glaring at Vegeta. "I'm his mother! I must have a say in this, and I say that will not allow Gohan to train with you, or anyone else!"

Vegeta's blood boiled at Chi-Chi's stubbornness. Part of him felt like seriously injuring Chi-Chi, if not killing her, though he ultimately decided against it. While Vegeta could likely defeat even an enraged Gohan if he did kill her, he still felt that things would go more smoothly if he spared Gohan from seeing his mother die in front of him. It was definitely tempting, though.

With gritted teeth and his glare becoming more intense, he snarled, "What makes you think keeping your boy from training will benefit this planet?"

Chi-Chi backed away, now genuinely scared. Vegeta looked absolutely furious, and Chi-Chi feared that if she set him off, she would end up dead, especially since in the past, Vegeta had taken innocent lives without a second thought. He wasn't the same person as he was before, though the right trigger could, in her mind, cause his old ways to briefly return. Despite her fear, Chi-Chi ultimately stood her ground. "I'm not the Earth's mother! I only have one son left, and I won't let him grow up to be a heartless monster like you, who does nothing but train! I would rather die than let him train again!"

At that point, all control Vegeta had of his temper was gone. Not only did Chi-Chi not care at all what happened to the Earth, but she had the audacity to call him a heartless monster, even after what he had done at the Cell Games! He wouldn't admit it, but Vegeta's actions at that point were almost entirely selfless, and Chi-Chi's words hit him hard. "**_Shut the fuck up, you idiotic bitch!_**" he roared, as his power spiked up, with a bluish-white aura surrounding his body.

Chi-Chi's face turned pale as she trembled in sheer terror. Nothing she ever experienced in her life was anywhere near as terrifying as this. At that moment, she closed her eyes, believing her life was over. Gohan and Trunks were about to jump in, also fearing the worst. Thankfully, their fears did not come true.

Vegeta shouted, "_**Have you ever considered that if your boy isn't ready to defend the Earth, and a new foe was to be stronger than me, your son would die?! He wouldn't be able to become the scholar you wanted**** anyway!**_"

Chi-Chi looked surprised, both by the fact that Vegeta didn't kill her, and that she never considered what a threat to the Earth really meant for her family. As Chi-Chi remained silent, Vegeta continued, with anger still evident in his voice, "Your child has Saiyan blood in him, whether you want to admit it or not. He may not thirst for battle like Kakarot or myself, though sooner or later he will end up needing to fight."

While Vegeta was still pissed off, his anger wasn't quite as high as it was not too long ago. Gohan decided to help out Vegeta with a calmer approach. "Vegeta's right, mom. And I may not enjoy fighting, I need to train in order to be ready for when the next big threat comes to Earth. Eventually, something's going to endanger the Earth, and Vegeta and I are the only ones who are strong enough to stop them. We have to be ready for whenever that happens."

"But... but... Gohan... I can't imagine losing you," Chi-Chi cried, with new tears forming in her eyes as she pulled her son into a tight embrace. "I don't want you to die and leave me all alone."

"I'm not going to be training with Vegeta all the time, mom," Gohan spoke in a reassuring tone. "I'll still be around, but I'll just be training with Vegeta instead of studying all of the time. Of course, I'll make sure to study when I can, but I can't ignore my responsibilities of protecting the planet."

"I understand." Chi-Chi sighed and hugged her son a bit tighter. "But make sure to be careful, okay?"

Gohan smiled at his mother and returned the hug wholeheartedly. "Of course I will!"

Chi-Chi released her son and turned to Vegeta. She let out a deep breath, then said shakily, "V...Vegeta... I.. I'm sorry for insulting you earlier."

Vegeta's anger had dissipated by then, and he could tell Chi-Chi's apology was sincere. He nodded, as a way to show that he accepted her apology. Chi-Chi looked up in surprise once more, as she didn't think Vegeta would let it go that easily. _Maybe Vegeta's not such a bad person,_ she mused.

* * *

A day or two after the defeat of Cell, while having a celebration at Capsule Corp, the Z-Fighters found out that the World Martial Arts Champion, Mr. Satan, had taken the credit for defeating Cell and everyone in the world was now praising him as a hero.

On the TV, while wearing a championship belt that he won in the 24th World Martial Arts Tournament, Mr. Satan stood in a victory pose while laughing. "HAHAHAHAHA! That's right! I defeated that bug-man with one Satan Punch! He stood no chance! Those fakes who used all of those light shows, smokes, mirrors, and other tricks never had me fooled for a second! Cell is gone and he will no longer be terrorizing this planet! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Most of the Z-Fighters were appalled by what they had witnessed. "How dare he?!" Krillin shouted.

Yamcha agreed. "Yeah! Vegeta and Gohan risked their lives to save the planet, and this how the world repays them?!"

"It's okay, guys," Gohan spoke, surprising everyone in the room.

"Are you telling me you're fine with this?" Tenshinhan questioned.

The Half-Saiyan nodded. "I'm not too happy he's calling us fakes, but really, I don't want the fame. It would be easier to let him have the credit so I can focus on my studies and training with Vegeta."

At that moment, a loud growl caught the group's attention. The growl had come from a pissed-off Vegeta, who was seething with fury. A large vein popped out of his forehead, as he clenched his fists and his power rose. He was already annoyed that while the Cell Games went on, Mr. Satan had denied the legitimacy of their ki attacks, but this, combined with Mr. Satan's audacity to claim that he defeated Cell with ease, especially because of how hard it was for Gohan and Vegeta to defeat him in reality, was far too much for the prince to tolerate.

"_I'll kill him!_" He bellowed, about to take off.

Trunks and Gohan immediately jumped in front of the enraged Saiyan, blocking him from going after Mr. Satan. "Dad, no!"

Vegeta snarled, "Why are you two getting in my way?! Aren't you a little bit angry at that man?!"

"Yes, but you'll end up killing him for sure! I want to get him back too, but not now, when you've almost lost control of yourself!" his son retorted.

Gohan nodded in agreement. "He's right, Vegeta. Besides, I don't think you'd want the attention from the media either."

The Saiyan Prince was regaining control of himself, but he was still obviously enraged. Bulma decided to voice her thoughts on the matter as well to give Vegeta a reason to not take action right away. "Think about this, Vegeta. Mr. Satan's claims are so ridiculous that some people are going to start to question them. And even if that doesn't happen, he's bound to slip up at some point. If he keeps this fame for years, and the populace finds out the man they have considered a hero is a fraud, a riot will erupt, and Mr. Satan will be even worse off."

Bulma's words dissipated Vegeta's anger. The prince realized that she had a point. _Of course!_ Vegeta thought. _Why didn't I think of that! It may be difficult, but if I wait for long enough, the payoff will be worth it._

Vegeta's angered scowl morphed into a dark smirk as he descended. "Fine then," he conceded. "We'll let the idiot have his fame and fortune. For now."

Bulma, Gohan, and Trunks sighed with relief. While the rest of the Z-Fighters talked amongst themselves, Vegeta glanced back to Mr. Satan on the TV and narrowed his eyes. _Enjoy yourself, fool. One of these days, your mistakes will haunt you, and when that day arrives, your life will become a living hell._


End file.
